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Tuesday, 18 December 2012

Review - The Queen's Secret by Victoria Lamb

The Queen's Secret

by

Victoria Lamb

This Elizabethan historical
mystery is set in 1585 when Queen Elizabeth I visits Kenilworth, home of her
favourite, Robert Dudley. Robert is desperate to marry Elizabeth and hopes that
by wooing her at Kenilworth she will finally consent to be his wife. However,
Elizabeth is as capricious as she is beautiful and with flirtatious cynicism she
is content to leave Robert waiting for her decision. However, waiting in the
wings is one of Elizabeth’s beautiful ladies in waiting, Lettice Knollys, wife
of the Duke of Essex, who is more than happy to accommodate Robert Dudley’s
attentions. Elizabeth is incensed by the growing attraction between Robert and
Lettice, and undertakes the services of Lucy Morgan, a young singer in her
entourage, to spy on the couple. Combined with the ostentatious portrayal of
life in the Elizabethan court, is the story
of Lucy Morgan, a young woman who is well used to the world of espionage.Gradually,she uncovers a plot that will have devastating consequences, not just on on Elizabeth’s
court, but also on Lucy herself.

The story is well written with a
compelling and intricate plot. The twists and turns are well explored and it soon
becomes a fascinating dialogue between the main characters. The Elizabethan
court is portrayed as a hotchpotch of scheming skulduggery, but it is the skilful
inclusion of an intricate mystery at the heart of the novel which really makes
for fascinating reading.

It is reassuring to note that The
Queen’s Secret is the first book in a proposed series of stories about Lucy
Morgan.